No sports team oozes trade rumors quite like the Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming off a highly-active offseason.
The trade rumor mill has continued to fire away as the Lakers still have areas on the roster to address. While it would be foolish to expect a marquee trade at this point in the calendar, there are some rumblings that the Lakers could make a trade to add an impact player before the regular season tips off in less than two weeks.
Meanwhile, some fans are already on the lookout for a superstar trade in case things go south this season. If the Lakers aren’t living up to their expectations with the trade deadline approaching, expect some big names on the roster to be mentioned in trade rumors.
Lakers Could Have Had a Nine-Time All-Star
For some time, the most notable Laker involved in trade speculation was Austin Reaves, who signed a four-year deal worth $180 million in the offseason. Reaves, 28, is now firmly planted as superstar point guard Luka Doncic’s long-term co-star. But there was a time when the Lakers could have shipped out Reaves for prolific scoring guard Kyrie Irving, who is now of the Dallas Mavericks.
“The point I’ve made — I will continue to make — is my understanding of the Lakers’ viewpoint with Austin … Lakers could have had Kyrie if they were willing to give up Austin, and they said no,” said Lakers reporter Jovan Buha during a recent live-stream episode of his podcast, “Buha’s Block. “They kept Austin out of the Luka trade. They’ve had opportunities (to acquire) Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, De’Aaron Fox, there’s been all these guys through the years — Trae Young — where the Lakers could have potentially traded for an All-Star level player. Were they willing to give up Austin Reaves, and they’ve continually said no. The bar to trade Austin is high. On top of that, they just re-signed him. My continued understanding of where they’re at with Austin is if they trade Austin, it’s to level up.”
L.A.’s Decision to Keep Reaves May Have Been for the Better
Many would argue that Irving, despite being 34 and coming off an ACL injury, is still superior to Reaves, who is coming off a career-high season in scoring.
Irving was at the epicenter of Lakers trade rumors since the middle of LeBron James’ tenure with the franchise. Speculation that Irving could be traded to the Lakers especially picked up during the 2022 offseason, one summer after L.A. infamously acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
Irving emerged as a rumored Lakers trade target months later ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, but nothing materialized for a second time, much to James’ chagrin.
Years later, Irving remains a popular name in NBA trade rumors. The belief around the league is that Irving and the Mavs could work together to execute a trade before the midseason deadline. While it is very much a long shot that Irving finally lands in L.A. after years of speculation, don’t be surprised if internet rumors once again link the former All-NBA guard to joining Doncic and the Lakers.
Report: Lakers Rejected Trade for 9x All-Star, Box-Office Luka Doncic Teammate